June 12, 2026, 2:00 p.m. ET
It’s not too difficult to figure out who the greatest player on the Atlanta Falcons‘ roster is these days. It only takes a few minutes watching Atlanta work on offense to see their superstar running back Bijan Robinson impress more than anybody else on the field.
Heading into his fourth year in the NFL, Robinson has already established himself as an elite talent at his position. Now he’s about to hit his prime years as an athlete.
Robinson is expected to sign a new contract soon that will likely make him the highest-paid running back in the league. For now, the Falcons are getting a superb bargain. Recently Robinson was named the starting running back for NFL.com’s “best team money can buy” exercise and according to at least one columnist he’s the most-underpaid superstar in the entire league.
Here’s USA TODAY’s national NFL writer Jarrett Bell on Robinson’s value and why the Falcons should reward him.
“Robinson, meanwhile, is the NFL’s most underpaid superstar. He led the NFL with 2,298 yards from scrimmage last season and posted career-highs for rushing yards (1,478), catches (79) and receiving yards (820). His 97 first downs were third in the league. In three NFL seasons, he’s never missed a game. And, well, with Robinson’s stop-on-a-dime, breath-taking moves and threat to take virtually any play the distance, the Falcons haven’t had a player so fun to watch since Michael Vick was in his heyday.”
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Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua probably has something to say about that, as does Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean – but Robinson definitely belongs in this conversation.
We likely haven’t even seen Robinson at his best yet – and with Tyler Allgeier no longer around, he may be about to explode into a new territory all his own among NFL running backs. In other words, Robinson’s price-tag is only going to go up, so the sooner they show him the money, the better.